09th June 2010

Alex Murphy: Time to believe in England RL

Rugby League Hall of Fame Alex Murphy believes Saturday’s Gillette Fusion International against France will give England the belief they need to mount an assault on the Four Nations in October.

The game marks Steve McNamara’s first game in charge and Murphy, the former Great Britain scrum-half, feels confidence in the squad is crucial in bridging the gap between England and the Southern Hemisphere.

“We need to start believing how good we are. We need to start thinking we are as good as they are and go back to playing Rugby,” said Murphy. 

“Everybody knows you’ve got to tackle, but if you can’t score tries, you can’t win matches.

“The game is very important. Leigh Sports Village is a lovely ground, one of the best in Rugby League and I think the game against France is a chance to start putting our game back on top and gives us the confidence to go to Australia and New Zealand this year and turn them over.”

Murphy is confident that England have got the right balance of youth and experience to take them forward and believes that the mid-season Test will present the idea opportunity for the likes of Sam Burgess, Gareth Widdop and Sam Tomkins to flourish on the international scene.

“I think we’ve got a lot talent coming through the system,” said Murphy. 

“We’ve got Sam Tomkins, the three guys coming over from Australia and Adrian Morley is just a young kid now so he’ll be back in the swing of it.

“The game will give some of the youngsters a chance to play on the international scene which will take us forward on to the Four Nations later on this season.”

The St Helens, Leigh and Warrington legend believes that the appointment of Steve McNamara combined with the players emerging from the Engage Super League, England have what it takes to be a real force within the next few years.

Murphy said: “I think McNamara will do very well. For me Steve is definitely the best man for the job.

“We need to give him time, anything from three to five years will be just about right, but I do think he is the best coach we’ve got.

“I think over the next few years, people will find out that he is a much better coach than a lot of people think.”
Tickets for the Gillette Fusion International between England and France on Saturday 12 June at Leigh Sports Village are now on-sale.
All pre-purchase tickets for the game for anywhere in the stadium are priced just £10 for adults and £5 for concessions and can be purchased now from the RFL Ticket Office on 0844 856 11 13 or via www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk
Hospitality for the game is still available and for more information, please ring 0844 856 11 14.
For the latest information about England Rugby League please visit www.englandrl.co.uk